Over the last 5 years, I have worked very hard to clean-up decades of neglect, end corrupt practices, and restore “Best Management Practices, to Oxnard city management and Council governance.

A compelling example of that was my leadership role in persuading my Council colleagues to approve an Employee Whistleblower Policy that protects truth-telling employees as they expose waste, fraud, and abuse from the fear of unlawful managerial retaliation.Another was leading the Council’s fight to recover improper supplemental retirement benefits paid unlawfully by former City Manager Ed Sotello to select City Executives, as well as successfully fighting to oppose an ill-advised legal settlement with Mr. Sotelo that would have cost the city millions of dollars unnecessarily.During my tenure on the City Council, I’ve fought hard and will continue to fight for smart, targeted investments in training city staff, rebuilding our aging city infrastructure, and improving city public service performance with technologically innovative programs like Oxnard 311, investments that will strengthen Oxnard for the long term.

But these organizational leadership steps require tough decisions and more importantly, time. Recall elections are meant to remove corrupt officeholders, not responsible representatives! Based on extensive input from two volunteer resident ratepayer advisory panels, the City’s experienced Public Works engineers, wastewater facility operators, and engineering and financial consultants, I made the best decision I could based on the information that I received, the financial conditions of the city present at the time, and my sworn duty to protect the public health, safety, and welfare of this city’s 200,000+ residents.

Recent news of a clean audit, increased numbers of investment banks willing to underwrite the City’s bonds, and the Ventura County Star’s Recent Editorial are all positive signs that the Council’s decisions are working.

Let’s not introduce unnecessary risk now and hurt the City’s positive forward trajectory.

Join with me on May 1st in Voting No Perello Recall, Oxnard! Thank You.